Chandan Yatra

Chandan Yatra

April-May; beginning on the third day of the waxing half of the Hindu month of Vaisakha and lasting 42 days

Indian Hindus celebrate several festivals during the new year, which in their holiday cycle arrives in Vaisakha, a month falling sometime between April and May. Within Vaisakha there are festivals whose observance takes place during a particular moon phase. One such festival, Chandan Yatra, is held during the waxing half of Vaisakha. During the festival, believers honor various Hindu deities, but most of their devotions are reserved for Lord Jagannatha, an expression of Krishna.
Depending on the festival site, Chandan Yatra lasts between three and six weeks and is celebrated throughout Orissa, a state located on India's eastern coast. Festival locations within Orissa include Puri, Baribapada, Balanga, and one of Hinduism's four holy places, Bhubaneshwar. Traditionally, the most elaborate celebration has always taken place at Puri, which is the final destination of a 42-day-long procession carrying icons of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, and other deities. The various icons are gathered from temples along the way of the procession. At the final site, a large water tank in Puri called the Narenda, the idols are placed in decorated boats and undergo sacred baths to the accompaniment of music.
Festivals in other towns are typically only three weeks long. They are observed in a similar fashion to the Puri ceremony, with a daily procession from the temple to the water tank.

CONTACTS:
Orissa Department of Tourism
Paryatan Bhawan
Museum Campus
Bhubaneswar, Orissa 751014 India
www.orissatourism.gov.in
Bharatonline—Savion Travel Services Pvt. Ltd.
A-88, First Fl., Sector 4
Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301 India
www.bharatonline.com
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